What is Clinical Trials Ontario?

Clinical Trials Ontario (CTO) is an independent not-for-profit organization. It was created with support from the Ontario Government and works with research ethics boards (REBs) and institutions across Ontario to ensure the highest ethical standards.

The CTO system allows one REB to oversee the ethical conduct of research at multiple sites. All reviews are conducted by a CTO-qualified board.

Oak Valley Health is a CTO participating site. Please note that you must also obtain all other required institutional approvals (e.g. contracts, institutional approval, etc.) before conducting a study at Oak Valley Health.

Oncology trials at Oak Valley Health can seek REB approval via CTO from the Ontario Cancer Research Ethics Board (OCREB). OCREB is an innovative, oncology-specialized Research Ethics Board serving hospitals in Ontario that conduct cancer clinical trials. OCREB’s centralized model streamlines the review process, minimizes redundancy, promotes consistency, and saves the time and cost of having the study reviewed by an REB at every participating institution (study site). For more information please visit OCREB’s website.

Before starting a CTO application, the investigator:

  • must have a registered CTO account
  • should have consulted their department head/lead before initiating the application
  • must complete training to conduct research activities at Oak Valley Health

To learn more and access Oak Valley Health’s SRERS document, please visit CTO Stream.

How do I obtain REB approval via CTO?

Download a PDF version of the CTO workflow

Inforgraphic of CTO workflow